The Oni Within
by HakuoukiPhilosophy
Summary: There was no point trying to hide it and no point trying to evade it. They knew their engagement was a way of keeping peace between the Shiranui and Yoshida clans, but it only served to tie them down. How can they fall in love with the pressure of their clans on their shoulders?


Shiranui Kyo strolled nonchalantly down the bustling streets of Ezo, hands stuffed in his pockets and amethyst eyes scanning the storefronts for a familiar name. _Yoshida Propaganda_ , run by the daughter of Yoshida Chirose and Shiranui's betrothed. Turning a corner, the man sensed a presence belonging to the very woman he was searching for and waved in greeting. His joy and relief at finally being reunited with her quickly overcame the initial shock of her sneaky appearance. He was not expecting her to find him, and the fact that he was beat to the punch drew a long sigh from his lungs. "I see ya haven't lost your touch, 'Zumi. You were always the first one to find me during hide-and-seek. I'm glad the years have been good to ya." He said, a grin tugging at the edges of his lips. "They have been everything but good to me. You know that, don't you, Kyo?" She inquired, and the spiteful bite in her tone made him regret speaking before his mind could register what to say. "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend ya. I was only trying to start a conversation; and I know better than anyone else how devastated you were after Chirose-san and Kaede-san passed away. I was the one to comfort you, after all." 

"I remember. Thanks for that.." The dark-haired woman replied after several moments of silence, stunning navy blue eyes roaming curiously over Shiranui's form, taking in his toned abdomen and strong but comforting arms. "I suppose it's my turn to comment your growth, then? Apparently the years since our last meeting have treated you well. I remember you as a skinny brat who used to be taller than he was wide and bathed in dirty puddles." She joked, her shoulders relaxing after hearing a soft chuckle escape his throat. Her body was also relieved from the tense posture, and Izumi appreciated how the man's company instantly soothed her. He noticed this too and jokingly pointed it out. "I assume you're glad to see me. I don't usually get that kinda greeting nowadays, especially since I became head of my clan." At her surprised reaction, Shiranui began to explain, "Mom was killed by humans a couple months ago and Dad was so upset he broke the code to hunt them down. Even after murdering them, he couldn't handle the grief and joined her in the grave." 

"Oh, Kyo. I'm sorry to hear that.. Amiko-san was like a second mother to me and it was the same for your father. I'll miss them dearly." Staring at the ground to avoid her gaze, the tanned devil reached into his pocket to retrieve a photo of a beautiful woman with midnight blue hair pulled into a bun and shoulder-length bangs swept to the left side of her face, holding it a second longer than he intended before giving it to the girl in front of him. "Humans have taken so much from us, huh? First Chizuru-chan and her clan, your family, and then my parents. I hate them so much, but I couldn't refuse when they asked me to fight with the Choshu in the upcoming war." He snarled, clenching his fists before punching the wall, his strength causing it to crumble at the impact site. "Kyo, I think we better go inside. There are too many people around and we can't risk drawing attention to ourselves." Izumi stated and placed her hand on his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him, blue eyes full of grief. "Yeah. You're right. Sorry 'bout that, Izumi-chan.." "There's no need to apologize. I understand what you're feeling, and if it helps, I'll make some tea."

Shiranui laughed before following her. "If ya can bring me some sake, that'll be better. And I promise to fix the wall tomorrow, so don't worry." Now it was Izumi's turn to chuckle and she playfully swatted his chest. "We both know what will happen if I give you sake. I think I'll stick with tea for now. Anyway, how are the others doing? I know Chikage-kun was upset when the Yukimura clan were attacked and not even Amagiri was able to soothe him." She had asked once Kyo was settled and briefly exited the room to make some tea. When she returned to see her companion deep in thought with a frown on his face, Izumi's chest tightened. She knew the pain of losing a loved one and she wanted to be there for her friend, but her current job made it hard for her to leave Edo. 

"Kazama's doing better, I guess. He finally accepted she's gone and began to focus on training ever since. Ya know how important his clan is to him and he'd be damned to let humans destroy it for their petty gains. As for Amagiri, it seems he's gotten comfortable acting as Kazama's bodyguard and his younger sister had even been arranged to marry into the Kazama clan, so they're as close as can be." 

"That's good to hear. What about Sen? Word on the streets is that she's the new Yasehime. I'm proud." Bright purple eyes flashed golden before returning back to their original hue and Izumi froze. Something about his reaction told her that he was not pleased with Sen's position as the head of the Yase devils, and she was about to ask him what he had against the girl when he abruptly rose to his feet. "She's not ready to hold the fate of all oni in her hands. Her mother is still able to rule so I don't get why that little princess was made queen, but for now I'll keep my mouth shut. If it were Kazama who heard me say that and not you, I'd be missing my head right now." He chuckled, the laugh soothing the dark atmosphere somewhat and Izumi detected a hint of anger in the male's voice. "Don't worry, 'Zumi. I won't go and get myself killed. There're still things I need to do, so cheer up." Shiranui patted her shoulder in comfort, but she could still sense his distaste. However, she decided to push that out of her mind and trust him when he said that he wouldn't do anything too reckless. "Alright.. I'll treat that as a promise then."


End file.
